Spectrum of
Death stands as you lone testament to such a brutally phenomenal band such as
Morbid Saint. Can you reveal a bit about the recording process and the writing
of the material? Was it released as a demo first and then an album? Who
released it as an album, some company in Mexico
if I remember correctly?

First off, I
just want to say that I am not the official spokesman for the band. The truth
is that, until just recently, I haven’t spoken to any of the members since I
left the band in 1990. I was only in Morbid Saint for a few years; just long
enough to record “Lock Up Your Children”, the recording that would later be
released as “Spectrum Of Death”, and long enough to play some awesome shows with
those guys, including the Ultimate Revenge II tour with Death and Dark Angel and
Metal Fest III with Death and Nuclear Assault. The band “split up” in
1990 shortly after Metal Fest III, actually performing a “final
show” at Croation Hall in Sheboygan, WI. They
later reformed with a different bass player, Mike Chappa, and released the “Lock
Up Your Children” recording as “Spectrum Of Death” on Avanzada Metallica, then
ultimately on Grind Core. The band and I - with the help of the bands producer
Eric Greif – are negotiating the re-release of “Spectrum Of Death”, which
hopefully is going to be officially re-released by Power Play Records soon.

How much demo
material did you guys have before the recording of Spectrum of Death? Do you
feel you were adequately prepared for the ordeal of recording a full length
album?

We pretty much
recorded our current set that we were playing out at the time. Going into the
studio and laying those tracks down was really no different than jamming at
practice or playing a live show for me. There was really no pressure, no time
constraints. We had a limited budget, but Eric Greif and Opus worked with what
we had. From what I remember, it was recorded over the course of a month or
so. I suppose the production could have been better if we had the budget for
it, but overall we were satisfied with the recording at that time.

You have a
pretty thorough website dedicated to Morbid Saint. Why has its upkeep fallen on
you alone? Why have the other band members distanced themselves from
reminiscing on the “good ol’ days” with Morbid Saint?

My website
wasn’t put up so much to reminisce about Morbid Saint as it was to set the
record straight. The response to it, however, has been incredible. I get
e-mails from fans all over the world, not to mention the occasional interview
offer (grin). The site is averaging about 1000 hits a month. As for the other
members, I suppose they have just moved on and are too busy with new projects,
including the recently disbanded Sgt. Discharge, and Hallowcore.

I get the
impression that your concert appearance at Metal Fest 3 along with Death was a
pivotal moment for the band. Why was that and can you describe the atmosphere
surrounding that performance?

Metal Fest III
at the Rave in Milwaukee, WI was definitely the biggest show I ever played with
Morbid Saint. Sharing the stage with Death and Nuclear Assault, in my own
hometown, at a venue (the Rave in Milwaukee, WI) where I had seen dozens of
bands play over the years, was completely awesome. I personally cannot say
whether or not this was a “pivotal” moment for the band, because I didn’t keep
in touch with them, and really have no idea what they did or where they went
after I left the band. I’m not aware of them going on any sort of World Tour
with Death or anything like that, but I really don’t know.

There is a
Spectrum of Death/Destruction System CD that is floating around in the
underground. Is that an official release? I have heard there is some sort of
controversy surrounding it. Can you expound on that?

Here’s the
deal with that release: The CD was released by the record label Keltic
Records. They apparently received permission from Avanzada Metallica to
re-release "Spectrum of Death", and also released the "Destruction System" demo
along with it. Only 500 copies were made, and no more should be printed.

The problem is
that Avanzada Metallica holds no rights to the recording "Spectrum of Death" and
therefore had no right licensing its release to anyone. Also, "Destruction
System" was released without the bands permission. A deal was ultimately struck
by the band and Eric Greif - after the CDs were already out there for some time
- and the company agreed to liquidate whaat they had left, and not to print
anymore copies.

You guys
partook in the killer Ultimate Revenge II Tour among other tours. How did you
feel about touring in general? How was the crowd’s reaction to such a
monstrously heavy band?

I wouldn’t
really call it a tour. I mean, Death and Dark Angel were on tour, but we didn’t
go with them state to state or anything. These great bands just came to our
hometowns and we were just lucky enough to be in the scene at that time, and
shared the stage with them. The band never really went on a tour while I was a
member per say, unless you consider a 65 mile drive from Sheboygan to Green Bay
a tour (grin). I am not aware of them ever really breaking out of the local
scene.

In Sheboygan
you guys got banned from playing in a place because of a pentagram and such in
your logo. What exactly happened there? Also was Satanism and anti-Xtianity
part of Morbid Saint’s musical ideology? Do you think that a person’s ideology
is directly reflected by their musical output?

That actual
incident occurred before I was even a member of Morbid Saint, when the guys were
still playing Slayer covers. Ironically, I recently learned of a group of fans
(or possibly ex-fans now) who believed that Morbid Saint was a Christian metal
band. Now I can understand someone mistaking Morbid Saint for a Satanic band,
but it’s quite a stretch to suggest that MS were a Christian metal band! We did
talk about dark and evil subjects in our lyrics, but none of us were into any
kind of devil worship or anything like that. Like Jim Fergades said, we were
just “Evil Metal”.

You guys were
making a name for yourself outside of Wisconsin right about the same time that
Death metal was beginning to peak. With your style that to me lay somewhere
between Death metal and thrash metal was it easier to appeal to both audiences
or did that make it harder because you weren’t pigeon-holed into one scene or
the other?

I don’t think
any of that really played into our thoughts at the time or in the music we were
writing and performing. We were just doing our own thing, whatever came
natural. We were playing the music that we drew from our own varied musical
influences. As a result, the guitars and drums had a more Slayer-like sound,
while my finger-style bass lines were more reminiscent of Iron Maiden and
Mercyful Fate. And of course, Pat Lind always sounded like a more raw and evil
incarnation of Kreator’s vocalist to me. I think we made for a unique
combination of musician’s that – together – really made us stand apart from
anyone else at the time.

It seems like
old school bands, especially obscure thrash, are making quite a comeback lately
and generating a lot of interest with a new group of younger fans. Have you
noticed a recent increase in interest regarding Morbid Saint? I know your CDs
sell for outrageous sums when they make their rare appearances on Ebay.

Yes, I have
seen a copy of that Keltic release sell for over $100 on Ebay, primarily due to
its limited number of copies released. I have also seen mint copies of the
Avanzada Metallica LP release fetch a hefty price. Yeah, I would say that there
has definitely been an increase in the amount of interest in Morbid Saint
recently, and in old-school Metal in general. Perhaps these younger fans are
hearing something in these obscure metal bands of the past that they have never
heard before, something they are perhaps not hearing from the more polished
corporate acts of today. One thing is clear, they like what they’re hearing.

You were an
integral member of Morbid Saint. If it is not too personal, why did you depart?

I will just
say that, for personal reasons, I was unable to make any sort of commitment to
the band, as far as touring, practicing and what not. Therefore, I would have
been in a position where I would have held them back. I never felt like we left
on bad terms. They needed a bass player that could make a long-term commitment
to the band, someone who could go on tour and make it to practice. It was a
great ride though, however short.

What sort of
projects are you involved in doing these days? Do you just have a regular job
or are you still heavily involved in the music/metal scene?

I am still a
music enthusiast, but I am no longer heavily involved in the music scene. I
still enjoy playing and recording different kinds of music, and even have a
small recording studio in my basement. These days I spend most of my time
taking care of my 9 year old daughter, working full-time as a computer repair
technician, and running my own computer repair business.

Any Final
words before Death Takes us?

Yes, the
Morbid Saint and Eric Greif are in negotiation with Power Play Records to
officially re-release “Spectrum Of Death”. Hopefully it will be available by
the end of the year. When I have more information on the release, I will put it
on my website at
http://www.pcmdusa.com/ms. STAY MORBID!